It's been a busy month. Here are 3 scams that I have run across over the last couple of weeks. All three worked by borrowing trust that was already there.

The fake MyChart message

Epic warned about this on August 24 and it is still going. You get a message: Test results are ready. Your appointment changed. You have an unpaid balance. You have a new secure message.

There is also a "free 2026 Medicare Health Kit" version aimed squarely at older readers. That kit does not exist.

MaineHealth uses MyChart, so this one is landing here in Maine, on people who have a real login and get real notifications.

The fix takes no judgment at all. Close the message and open the portal yourself.

→ The Fake MyChart Message Going Around Right Now

The invitation you never accepted

A $499 renewal charge on your calendar that you did not put there. No email. No click. No accept.

Calendars add invitations from strangers by default. They leave it up to us to fix that.

Most of these invitations do not want a click. They want you to call the number. If you've been reading my posts, you know where that leads.

Fortunately, one setting turns the whole thing off.

→ The Invitation You Never Accepted

Somebody Venmo'd you by mistake

The money really does arrive. You can see it in your balance. Then a polite stranger asks for it back. This is an new twist on an old scam.

The money came from a stolen card. The charge eventually gets reversed. Your money stays gone.

Use the refund button on the original transaction, or report it to the platform. Never a new payment.

→ Somebody Venmo'd You By Mistake

The thread

Nobody in these three stories did anything foolish. These work on careful people. That is the entire design.

"Just be careful" stopped being useful advice a while ago, because there is nothing left to spot.

What still works is a habit. Stop, and go to the source yourself. Open the portal yourself. Call the number you already have. Use the refund button, not a new payment.

That one habit beats all three of these, and the ones that come next.

The office is closed today and through the holiday weekend. We are back Tuesday the 8th. Email is being watched. If one of these has already happened to you, write in anyway.

PS. PCRescue Kit went public this week. Free download that stays free, over thirty fixes. The full version (over 70 fixes) is $49 (one-time payment) and free with any paid membership.

→ PCRescue Kit Is Now Open To Everyone